Article storing and delivering apparatus with inclined article-supporting rack



Nov. 28, 1961 A. RUTKOVSKY ETA L 3,010,584 ARTICLE STORING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS WITH INCLINED ARTICLE-SUPPORTING RACK Filed June 23, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l as I .HWIMW vll lillll llllll.

INVENTORS .1 2. 1459mm IPUI'KOVSKY By Sam furrovskr MCUL ,4 rroewey 1951 A. RUTKOVSKY ET AL 3,

ARTICLE STORING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS WITH INCLINED ARTICLE-SUPPORTING RACK Filed June 23, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T mlilm.

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. INVENTORS ABfHl-IAM iur owsky BY 64M fur/rovsxv A Troy/v6) United States Patent ARTICLE STORlNG AND DELIVERING APPARA- WITH INCLIN'ED ARTICLE-SUPPORTING Abraham Rutkovsky and Sam Rutkovsky, Brooklyn, N.Y.,

assignors to Railex Corporation, Brooklyn, N.Y., a

corporation of New York Filed June 23, 1960, Ser. No. 38,273 8 Claims. (Cl. 211-121) This invention relates to article storing and delivery apparatus of the type which includes an endless movable article-supporting rack or conveyer having inclined portions so that garments, shirts or other processed articles may be stored at two vertical levels to conserve space. The apparatus is provided with means for transmitting the articles from one level to another for storage and quick and easy identification and selection of the article.

Heretofore, in apparatus of the type indicated, the article-supporting rack for the garments was provided with a series of horizontally spaced trolleys which were mounted for movement on an endless rail which had in clined portions so that the rack could be moved from one level to another. The weight of the inclined portions of the rack and the garments carried thereon created a pulling force on the rack which caused the trolleys at the upper end of the rack to cant or assume an inclined position from the vertical which resulted in the laterally spaced arms of the trolley rubbing against the sides of the rail. This rubbing action of the arms of the trolleys against the sides of the rail interfered with the free movement of the article-supporting rack on the rail causing binding and jamming of therack and other detrimental effects.

The primary object of the present invention is to obviate the deficiencies indicated above in article storing and delivery apparatus of the inclined type.

Another object is to provide a generally improved article storing and delivery apparatus of the inclined type.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be fully understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings of the presently preferred embodiment of this invention.

paratus; and

FIG. is a sectional view, on a larger scale, taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2 showing some of the parts of the apparatus in section.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the article storing and delivery apparatus 10 comprises an endless stationary rail 12 which is made preferably from a hollow tube and includes lower horizontal end portion 14, upper horizontal end portion -16 and laterally spaced inclined side portions 18. Each of the end portions of the rail is in the form of a semi-circle and is provided with a supporting frame member 20 which is constituted by an angle iron having a vertical web 22 and a horizontal flange 24. Each of the frame members is secured to rail 12 along the upper surface thereof by a series of horizontally spaced welds 26 provided along the lower edge of web 22, but it will be understood that the frame members may be secured to the rail by other 3,010,584 Patented Nov. 28, 1961 means. A cross-member 28 underlies the flanges 24 of the frame members 20, at the upper and lower ends of the rail, and is secured to said flanges by welding or by other suitable connections. A pair of floor supporting stanchions 30 are disposed laterally inwardly of rail 12 and unlerlie cross-members 28 so that the rail is spaced above the floor.

An endless article-supporting rack or conveyor 32 is suspended below rail 12 and is mounted for movement along the length of the rail. The article-supporting rack has portions corresponding to the portions of the rail 12. More particularly, the rack 32 includes horizontal lower end portion '34, upper horizontal end portion 36 and intermediate inclined portions 38 which are laterally spaced from each other. The article-supporting rack also includes a plurality of rigid rack members or links 40 which are disposed in end-to-end relation and are pivotally connected to each other at their respective adjacent ends by a universal joint connection 42, which permits adjacent rack members to pivot horizontally as well as vertically with respect to each other. The universal joint connection comprises a vertical extending pin 44 which has a rotatable member 46 mounted thereon. Member 46 has a horizontal pin 48 mounted for rotational movement therein and one end of an adjacent rack member 4% is secured to said pin by part 50 so that said rack member may pivot in a vertical plane and in a horizontal plane. Vertical pivotal movement of the rack member 40 is limited by the engagement of surfaces 52 of the rack member with the bifurcated end 54 of the adjacent rack member 40. Said bifurcated ends have vertical aligned apertures therein through which pin 44 extends to permit the other adjacent rack member 40 to pivot in a horizontal plane on pin 44 with respect to the first mentioned rack member 40. The universal joint connection between adjacent rack members enables the article-supporting rack 32 to follow the horizontal and inclined path provided by the rail 12.

Each rack member 40 includes horizontally spaced vertically extending dividing members 56 which form lateral spaces to receive the hangers H of the garments G, as shown in FIG. 1. In this manner the garments are supported and carried by rack 32 along the rail 12 so that the garments may be transported from the upper end 36 of the track, where they may be stored, to lower end 34, where they may be dispensed to the customer or other person desiring the garment.

A trolley yoke 58 is pivotally mounted on the upper end of each pin 44 and is provided with upstanding laterally spaced arms 6%) which straddle rail 12. The arms terminate in angular bearing portions 62 which carry axle pins 64 upon which rotatable trolley rollers 66 are mounted. The trolley rollers are disposed in angular relation to rail 12, in straddling relation with web 22 of frame member 20, so that article-supporting rack 32 is suspended from said rail and is adapted to travel along the length thereof.

The means for driving the article supporting rack for movement upon and around rail 12 is mounted at the upper end 36 of the rack and comprises a sprocket wheel 68 which is disposed in concentric relation to the semicircular end portion 16 of the rail. In this regard it will be noted that only one sprocket wheel is provided and no iol'lower sprocket wheel has been found to be needed for the lower end 34 of the article-supporting rack. The rack members 40 of the article-supporting rack are rigid members and very little clearance is provided between the universal connections 42 of the rack members so that the rack remains taut without the neces sity of a follower sprocket wheel. Sprocket wheel '68 is provided with teeth '70 spaced along its circumference and the length of the spaces between the teeth is equal to the distance between the pivot pins 44. The pivot pins are provided with rotatable s leeves 72 which are engaged by the teeth 70 of the sprocket wheel to drive the article-carrying rack. The sprocket wheel is driven by a motor 74 and a speed reduction unit 76 which are mounted on a supporting plate 78 secured to flanges 24 of the upper frame member 20, as best shown in FIG. 5. The motor is mounted above supporting plate 78 while the gear reduction unit is mounted below said plate and belt 80 provides the drive between the motor and the gear reduction unit. Suitable switch means, not shown, are provided for operating motor 74, which is of the reversible type, so that the article-supporting rack may be driven in opposite directions, as desired.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the weight of inclined portions 38 of the article-supporting rack 32 and the weight of the garments mounted thereon will cause a pulling force to be exerted on the upper end 36 of the rack. Since the rack members 40 are suspended below rail *12, via universal joint connection 42 and trolley yoke 58, the rack members and trolley yoke will tend to cant or tilt toward the inclined portions of the rack causing arms 60 of the trolley yoke to engage and rub against the sides of the rail 12 as the rack moves along the upper end 16 of the rail. 'In order to counter- "act this pulling force of the inclined portions 38 of the rack and to maintain pin 44 in a vertical position, thereby eliminating the rubbing or engagement of arms 60 of the trolleys with the sides of the rail 12, the spokes 82 of the sprocket wheel 68 are each provided with members 84 which have bent portions 86 whose ends 87 engage the lower ends 88 of pin 44, and are in abutting relation therewith, thereby maintaining said pins in vertical disposed position. Members 84, being mounted on the spokes 82 of sprocket wheel 68, are rotatable with said sprocket wheel and the ends of bent portion 86 are disposed below the teeth 70 of the sprocket wheel, respectively, and are in vertical alignment therewith, so that the corresponding sprocket tooth 70 and member 84 engage the corresponding pin 44 at the same time. As here shown, members 84 are secured to their corresponding spokes 82 by bolts 90. In this manner, the pulling force due to the inclined portions of the article-supporting rack is counteracted and neutralized and pins 44 remain vertical.

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made therein without departing from the underlying ideas and principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In an article storing and delivery apparatus, an endless rail having upper and lower portions and inclined portions therebetween, an endless article-supporting rack mounted for movement on said rail and having corre sponding upper and lower portions and inclined portions positioned :at said indlined portions of said r-ail, whereby said inclined portions of said rack and the articles carried thereon are operable to normally cause a pulling force to be exerted on said rack to bias said upper portion thereof into a position which is tilted toward said inclined portions of said rack, and means mounted adjacent said upper portion of said rack and engageable therewith for counteracting said pulling force and thereby prevent the tilting of said upper portion.

2. In an article storing and delivery apparatus, an endless rail having upper and lower portions and inclined portions therebetween, an endless article-supporting rack mounted for movement below said rail and having corresponding upper and lower portions and inclined portions positioned at said inclined portions of said rail, whereby said inclined portions of said rack and the articles carried thereon are operable to normally cause a pulling force to be exerted on said rackto bias said upper portion thereof into a position which is tilted topositioned at said inclined portions of said rail, whereby said inclined portions of said rack and the articles carried thereon are operable to normally cause a pulling force to be exerted on said rack to bias said upper portion thereof into a position which is tilted toward said incl-ined portions of said rack, means engageable with said rack at said upper portion thereof for moving said rack on said rail, and means connected to said rack moving means and engageable with said rack at said upper portion thereof and movable therewith 'for counteracting said pulling force during the movement of said rack and thereby prevent said tilting of said upper portion.

4. In an article storing and delivery apparatus, an endless rail having upper and lower portions and inclined portions therebetween, an endless article-supporting rack mounted for movement on said rail and comprising a series of rigid frame members pivotally connected together in end-to-end relation, said rack having corresponding upper and lower portions and inclined portions positioned at said inclined portions of said rail, whereby said inclined portions of said rack and the articles carried thereon are operable to normally cause a pulling force to be exerted on said rack to bias said upper portion thereof into a position which is tilted toward said inclined portions of said rack, and means in driving engagement with said rack for moving said rack along said rail, said moving means including means engageable with parts of said rack at said upper portion thereof for counteracting said pulling force and thereby prevent the tilting of said upper portion.

5. In an article storing and delivery apparatus, an endless rail having upper and lower portions and inclined portions therebetween, an endless article-supporting rack having support means mounted for movement on said rail and having corresponding upper and lower portions and inclined portions positioned at said inclined portions of said rail, whereby said inclined portions of said articlesupportng rack and the articles carried thereon are operable to normally cause a pulling force to be exerted on said rack to bias said upper portion thereof into a position which is tilted toward said inclined portions of said rack, and means in driving engagement with said rack support means at said upper portion of said rack for moving said rack along said rail, said support means comprising a series of longitudinally spaced members each having rotatable means at their upper ends, respectively, in rolling engagement with said rail, said rack moving means including means engageable with said members at said upper portion of said rack for counteracting said pulling force during the movement of said rack and thereby maintaining said members at said upper portion of said rack in a vertical position.

6. In an article storing and delivery apparatus, an endless rail having intermediate inclined portions and upper and lower horizontal end portions, an endless article-supporting rack having corresponding intermediate inclined portions and corresponding upper and lower horizontal end portions positioned'at said inclined portions and said upper and lower horizontal portions of said rail, respectively, said rack having a plurality of horizontally spaced support means suspended from said rail and 'movable along the length thereof for supporting said rack for movement below said rail, said inclined portions of said rack' and the articles carried thereon being operable to normally cause a pulling force to be exerted on said rack support means at said upper horizontal end portion of said rack whereby said rack support means at said upper horizontal end portion of said rack are biased into inclined positions from the vertical toward said inclined portions of said rack, and means in driving engagement with said rack support means at said upper horizontal end portion of said rack for moving said rack along said rail, said rack moving means including means engageable with said rack support means at said upper portion of said rack and at a position below said rail for counteracting said pulling force during the movement of said rack to prevent said rack support means from moving into an inclined position.

7. An article storing and delivery apparatus, comprising an endless stationary rail having intermediate inclined portions and upper and lower horizontal end portions, an endless article-supporting rack having corresponding intermediate inclined portions and corresponding upper and lower horizontal end portions, said rack having a plurality of horizontally spaced movable support members suspended from said rail and movable along the length thereof for supporting said rack for movement below said rail, each of said support members having a pair of laterally spaced wheels in rolling engagement with the upper surface of said rail and a pair of laterally spaced arms straddling the sides of said rail, said inclined portion of said rack and the articles carried thereon being operable to cause a pulling force to be exerted on said support members at said upper portion of said rack causing said arms of said support members to be normally biased into an inclined position extending in a direction toward said inclined portions of said rack so that one of said arms of each of said support members at said upper portion of said rack contacts a side of said rail causing interference with the movement of said support members and said rack, each of said members having a pivot pin extending below said arms and below said rack, a sprocket wheel positioned at said upper end of said rack and engageable with said pivot pins of said support members at said upper end for moving said members along said rail and thereby moving said rack along said rail, and a series of rigid members connected to said sprocket wheel and extending downwardly therefrom, each of said rigid members having one of its ends in position for engaging a portion of said rack as said portion moves in position at said upper portion of said rack for counteracting said pulling force and maintaining said pins and arms in a vertical position.

8. An article storing and delivery apparatus, comprising an endless stationary rail having intermediate inclined portions and upper and lower horizontal end portions, an endless article-supporting rack having corresponding intermediate inclined portions and corresponding upper and lower horizontal end portions, said rack having a plurality of horizontally spaced movable support members suspended from said rail and movable along the length thereof for supporting said rack for movement below said rail, each of said support members having a pair of laterally spaced wheels in rolling engagement with the upper surface of said rail and a pair of laterally spaced arms straddling the sides of said rail, said inclined portion of said rack and the articles carried thereon being operable, to cause a pulling force to be exerted on said support members at said upper portion of said rack causing said arms of said support members to be normally biased into an inclined position extending in a direction toward said inclined portions of said rack so that one of said arms of each of said support members at said upper portion of said rack contacts a side of said rail causing interference with the movement of said support members and said rack, each of said members having a pivot pin extending below said arms and below said rack, said pivot pins being also biased into the same position as said arms, a sprocket wheel positioned at said upper end of said rack and engageable with said pivot pins of said support members at said upper end for moving said members along said rail and thereby moving said rack along said rail, and a series of rigid members connected to said sprocket wheel and extending downwardly therefrom, each of said rigid members having one of its ends in position for engaging the lower end of one of said pivot pins as the latter moves into position at said upper portion of said rack for counteracting said pulling force and maintaining said pins and arms in a vertical position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

